Fantasy Football Potential – Cheikhou Kouyate

Crystal Palace have signed Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate from West Ham on a four year deal for an undisclosed fee. The 28 year old has played in the premier league since 2014, and Palace have brought him in to strengthen their midfield as they have seen the likes of Cabaye and Loftus-Cheek leave.

Cheikhou Kouyate has made 42 international appearances for Senegal, scoring 2 goals and he is the current team captain. During the summer, Kouyate represented his nation in the World Cup, however they were unable to get past the group stages.

Here’s what Kouyate has had to say about his move:

“This is the right time to move because I need a new challenge. I have good memories of West Ham but I need to come here and give my best because I like the Crystal Palace project”

Fantasy Premier League Potential (5.0m)

Before joining West Ham, Kouyate played 153 games for Anderlecht, scoring 4 goals over the course of 5 seasons. He then went on to join West Ham in 2014, making 129 appearances, scoring 12 goals and creating 9 assists. From this it’s clear that Kouyate won’t be brining goals to Palace, but he may chip in with one here or there. That said he will certainly improve the Hammers’ defensive capability.

Kouyate has been priced at 5.0m in Fantasy Premier League, which is fair based on his style of play. He won’t bring in too many points from goals and assists, but will improve clean sheet potential for the Palace defenders.

Crystal Palace’s first five fixtures are as follows; Fulham (A), Liverpool (H), Watford (A), Southampton (H) and Huddersfield (A). Not a bad set of fixtures, in which Kouyate may not provide too much Fantasy Premier League potential. It is also not clear whether or not he will be a regular starter as he has started their pre-season fixture against Toulouse on the bench.